Design and Validation of an Instrument for Assessing the Professional Priorities of Iraqi Primary School Principals: Evidence of Validity and Reliability Using Second-Order Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to design and psychometrically validate an instrument for assessing the professional priorities of Iraqi primary school principals.

Methods and Materials: This instrument-development study was conducted among 381 public primary school principals selected from all 18 provinces of Iraq during the 2024–2025 academic year. The initial item pool was developed from the conceptual framework derived from the exploratory phase of the study and was refined through expert review. Content validity was evaluated by 12 professors of educational management using the content validity ratio and content validity index. The final questionnaire comprised 56 items distributed across eight dimensions and was rated on a five-point Likert scale. The measurement structure was examined using first-order and second-order confirmatory factor analyses. Convergent validity was assessed using average variance extracted, while construct reliability and internal consistency were evaluated using composite reliability and Cronbach’s alpha.

Findings: All 56 items loaded significantly on their corresponding first-order factors, with standardized factor loadings ranging from 0.64 to 0.88 and all coefficients significant at p < .001. The first-order eight-factor model demonstrated satisfactory fit, χ²/df = 1.50, CFI = 0.95, TLI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.036, and SRMR = 0.041. The second-order model also showed acceptable fit, χ²/df = 1.52, CFI = 0.94, TLI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.037, and SRMR = 0.044. Standardized second-order loadings ranged from 0.68 to 0.87 and were all statistically significant. Average variance extracted values ranged from 0.52 to 0.68, composite reliability coefficients ranged from 0.88 to 0.94, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranged from 0.82 to 0.94. The total scale demonstrated an alpha coefficient of 0.92.

Conclusion: The developed questionnaire demonstrated a coherent eight-dimensional and hierarchical structure with satisfactory evidence of content validity, factorial validity, convergent validity, composite reliability, and internal consistency, supporting its use for research, professional assessment, and leadership development among Iraqi primary school principals.